


A picture worth a thousand words

by stjarna



Series: Elephant and Castle [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Sequel, Tattoo artist and musician AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 23:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21400594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: A sequel toElephant and Castle— a Fitzsimmons tattoo artist and musician AU. [Strongly recommend reading E&C first]
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: Elephant and Castle [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1542823
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49
Collections: Fluffy and Funny Fics by stjarna





	A picture worth a thousand words

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to @dilkirani for the beta.

Fitz gripped the strap of his shoulder bag more tightly, his heart beating nervously in his chest. He’d made up his mind. He was sure of his decision. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t scared shitless.

He pushed the door to the tattoo shop open, the bells above the door jingling quietly. Jemma looked up from where she was drawing behind the counter, a smile immediately spreading across her face. Fitz was relieved to see that there were no other customers or tattoo artists present.

“Hey there, do you do walk-ins?” Fitz asked, grinning sheepishly.

Jemma laughed out loud. She pushed herself up to standing and slowly walked over to the counter. “Is that what it’s come to? Any excuse will do to see your girlfriend?”

Fitz pressed his lips into a thin line. “Kinda.”

He leaned across the counter to kiss her briefly, mesmerized by the happy sparkle in her eyes when he broke away.

“Well, I appreciate the effort,” Jemma remarked, clearly amused by what he had said upon entry.

“Good. Though actually—” Fitz replied, his nervousness creeping back up as he opened his bag to pull out the folder, “—I was serious.” He slid the folder across the counter, opening it up to reveal the drawing of a phoenix with a woman’s face that Jemma had gifted him a few months ago. “I’m here to get a tattoo.”

“Fitz,” Jemma breathed, her eyes wandering in shock back and forth between him and the drawing.

“You said it would make a great tattoo.”

Jemma’s eyes flickered up as a weak chuckle escaped her. “I was joking back then.”

“Well, maybe you were, but you also know that you were right.”

Jemma slumped her shoulders. “But, Fitz, you—”

“And I said if I ever got a tattoo, it would be from you,” Fitz interjected.

“Well, yes, but it didn’t seem like you would ever really—” Jemma paused, looking at him with wide-open eyes. “I mean, you hate the sound. You’re afraid of the pain. The thought of needles penetrating your skin makes you squeamish. I know the very thought of it makes your hairs stand on edge. I’m just—this is very unexpected.”

“They’re sending us on tour,” Fitz blurted out, unable to keep the news in any longer.

Jemma’s jaw dropped and her eyes grew even wider. “What?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. Records. They’re—they’re—”

“A tour?” Jemma asked breathlessly.

“A world tour,” Fitz clarified, noticing his his heart was once again racing in his chest.

Jemma stared at him silently for a long time, making his nervousness grow exponentially until she suddenly jumped up a little, exclaiming excitedly, “Oh my god. Fitz, that’s fantastic!”

“I know,” Fitz called out in relief. “And, I mean, we’re not exactly playing the Sydney Opera House. They’re all smaller venues, but—but we’re playing Sydney—as in Sydney, Australia.” He raised his shoulders. “I mean, I’ve been to Scotland, and London, and the States. That’s it. I’ve never—and now I’m about to hop on a plane to fly to Japan, and Brazil. I don’t even know if there are people who actually want to see us, but May says our single did great, the album is out, and—and—” He gasped for air like a fish out of water, before muttering a disbelieving, “A world tour.”

“I’m so happy for you.” Jemma rounded the counter, pulling him into a bone-breaking hug. “This is absolutely amazing.”

Fitz broke away, his hands resting on her hips. “Is it though?”

Jemma ticked her head to one side in confusion. “Fitz, why would you say that? S.H.I.E.L.D. Records approached you months ago, gave you a record deal. Clearly they see your incredible talent, your potential. That’s why they’re taking the next step: A world tour! Why would you have doubts?”

Fitz shrugged. “Because, well, I’ll be gone for a few months, and unlike Bobbi, who can work from anywhere as long as she has wi-fi and her laptop, you can’t really pack up your shop and—we won’t see each other and—”

Jemma’s lips pulled into a soft smile as she cupped Fitz’s face. “Oh Fitz, you know this is an incredible opportunity that you can’t possibly lose out on just because of me.”

Fitz bobbed his head. “I know. Still—I’ll miss you.”

She kissed him gently, combing her fingers through his curls. “I’ll miss you, too, but that’s what video chats are for, and emails, text messages, phone calls.” She lifted her shoulders. “And who knows, maybe I could fly to at least some of the gigs.”

“We’re playing Glasgow,” Fitz said quietly. “I’m hoping my mum will be able to come. I mean—if you maybe—” He cleared his throat. “If you wanted to meet her.”

Jemma’s smile grew even wider. “You want me to meet your mum?”

Fitz pursed his lips. “Kind of.”

Jemma chuckled. “I’ve never been to Glasgow. Sounds like a wonderful opportunity.”

Fitz exhaled in relief. “I’ll help you book everything and all that. And—and if you want to come to any other gigs, if your schedule allows it, I mean—I mean—just say the word.”

“Well, I’ll need to see a tour list first.” Jemma grinned. “Then I can map out my route.”

Fitz nodded, the corners of his mouth ticking up as some of his nervousness left his body. He pulled Jemma closer, sealing her lips with his.

Fitz hummed in discontent when Jemma broke the kiss, looking at him with seriousness in her eyes. “But Fitz, about the tattoo. If you’re doing it because of me, because I drew it and you’ll miss me, then—”

“No,” Fitz shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I mean maybe that’s part of it, but—but, Jemma,” he paused, picking up the drawing and holding it up in front of her, “look at this picture. You drew this because you were inspired by a song I wrote. A song that was inspired by my mum, by my life. A song that’s our single. This picture is the cover for our single. That song—as hard as it is for me to believe—is one of the main reasons why S.H.I.E.L.D. Records was interested in signing us. That song is part of the reason why we’re going on tour.” He put the picture back down, tugging Jemma closer by the hips. “I’ve thought about it. Really. We had the meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. Records this morning and they told us about the tour plans and—and when I got home, I was in complete shock. I sat on my couch, just staring at the wall, and I had no idea what was happening, because never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that our band could go this far. And I was petrified. But then I saw your drawing on the wall and everything—I don’t know, but everything became clear. This picture is me, Jemma. It’s my life. It’s my band. It’s my history and my future. It’s everything. Growing up, my dad called me an idiot. He said I’d never make anything of myself. And I honestly don’t care anymore what he thinks, but—but I proved him wrong nonetheless, and I’m proud. I’m proud of what Elephant and Castle has accomplished, what I have accomplished, and I want to remind myself of that every single day and I want to shout it out to the world, and what better way to do that than by getting that image tattooed on my forearm and showing it off proudly when I play whatever venue they’ve hooked us up with in Sydney, or Oakland, or Tokyo, or Glasgow, or wherever? I’ve thought about it, Jemma. I’ve thought about it so hard and I’m so absolutely sure, so please: ‘Do you do walk-ins?’”

Her eyes grew soft and a gentle smile played on her lips. She leaned closer, brushing her lips against his before pulling away, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the collar of his shirt. She ticked her head to one side. “Fitz, this isn’t a walk-in tattoo. This is special. We’ll make time for it. Maybe outside of regular hours. This might be the only tattoo you’ll ever get, and I want the experience to be memorable—in a good way.”

Fitz scoffed quietly. “But you’ll do it?”

Jemma’s lips grew wide. “I wouldn’t let anyone else do it.”

Fitz kissed her deeply, his stomach churning with longing. He cupped her face, looking straight into her irises. “I love you, Jemma Simmons. I hope you know that.”

“I certainly had my suspicions,” Jemma teased before smiling happily, closing the gap between their lips once more.


End file.
